Top 10 Most Heartbreaking Anime Moments
Script written by Jonathan Alexander
#10: Mother, Daughter, Soldier, Spy
“Spy x Family” (2022-)
Not even a mind reader can prepare for every question. During her enrollment interview for the prestigious Eden Academy, the proctor decides to poke at the one thing that can crack Anya’s sunny optimism: her real mother. Seeing the lovable Forger daughter reduced to tears over the Mom she never knew is a soul-crushing reminder that, while she’s a part of a covert operation, Anya’s still just a kid. It stings all the more coming at the tail-end of a comedic scene, but at least the tonal whiplash leads to one of the most well-deserved punches to the face in all of anime. Though, frankly, this deplorable housemaster deserved worse.
#9: The Last Crusade
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“Chrono Crusade” (2003-04)
In this case, saving the day didn’t mean happily ever after. In protecting the world from Aion, Rosette and Chrono are left so injured they can do nothing but sit on the porch, watch the sunset, and wait for their end. The poignant scene stews in the consequence of their actions, since their deaths mean Rosette won’t get to be with Chrono or truly save her brother. Her pained and fearful cries make it clear this isn’t a fair fate for the world’s saviors, and yet, as they embrace each other at the end, all that’s left is for her to thank him for the journey.
#8: Bye Bye Butterfree
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“Pokémon” (1997-)
Ash’s quest to catch ‘em all may have started small, but there was something special about watching the newbie trainer nab his first wild Pokemon and nurture it all the way to its final form. It served as a metamorphosis for both trainer and partner, which is why it’s a stun spore to the heart when it becomes clear his Butterfree is better-free. The tearful, sunset-backed farewell was the very first time Ash had said goodbye to one of his partners, and it’s hard not to feel that weight when the music kicks in to accompany a montage of their journey together. It stung more than Pikachu’s thunderbolt, but it was time for Butterfree to spread its wings and fly.
#7: Thank You & Goodbye
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“Angel Beats!” (2010)
Endings are always a bit sad, but this last-minute twist goes for the heart in more ways than one. Trapped in limbo, Otonashi fell in love with the one person who can’t say the words back to him. Kanade can’t move on because she never got to thank the heart donor that prolonged her life, who is revealed to be Otonashi himself. But, with no one left to help pass on, Kanade finally admits her feelings, leaving Otonashi hysterically scrambling to hold onto the girl he never knew he saved. While the grief in his final cry is haunting, he can take solace that by letting her go, he’s given her life for the second time.
#6: Uzumaki Family Farewell
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“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)
There’s no jutsu under the sun to ease the grief of parents parting ways with their newborn son. After trading their own lives to defend Naruto from the Nine-Tails, Minato and Kushina trust their child to be the next Jinchuriki, even if it means he must walk the perilous path without them. Though their time as parents was cut short, Kushina delivers a downright agonizing last speech bestowing all the wisdom she can in their final moments. By showing their love in the way only parents can, this moving scene proved that even when it seemed no one believed in Naruto, Minato and Kushina had from the very beginning.
#5: To Kill a Villain
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“Trigun” (1998)
This gun-wielding hero’s pacifism has earned him plenty of scars, but taking a life left an even deeper wound. Knives-devotee Legato’s only goal is to cause Vash suffering, even at the cost of his own life, so he decides to push the pacifist into a no-win situation: either break his morals, or let more innocent people suffer. Vash’s harrowing inner turmoil forces him to abandon his humanity to become the murderer he never wanted to be, making the eventual gunshot feel more like a white flag than a finishing blow. Legato died with a smile on his face, understanding that while he lost his life, the damage he inflicted on Vash is even more painful.
#4: Taromaru & Me
“School-Live!” (2015)
Even in a show about zombies, dog’s are supposed to be off limits. These cheerful preteens are making the best of things by holing up in an abandoned school during the apocalypse, and thankfully, they have the ever-adorable Taromaru to lift their spirits through the mayhem. This canine companion becomes the School Life Club’s mascot, so it’s downright unforgivable when he’s fatally attacked by the undead Megumi. Losing their only ray of hope in the war-torn world is devastating enough, let alone when it comes at the hands of a former friend. Taromaru succumbs to his injuries in the end, but at least his final act of defending Yuki proves why dogs truly are man’s best friend.
#3: A Father’s Flames
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“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019-)
When Tanjiro delivers Kyojuro Rengokou’s final words to his family, he isn’t greeted with the grief-stricken company he expected. Instead, the former Flame Hashira’s father, Shinjuro, lashes out with rage hotter than fire-breathing, insisting that it’s Kyojuro’s fault for continuing as a Demon Slayer despite the high mortality rate. The episode walks through each stage of grief with a tender yet painful lens that hits harder than a Mugen Train, especially since it only continues to pick up speed towards the emotionally resonant finale. Only once Shinjuro’s alone with his mourning does he finally cry, and in doing so, begins to stoke the flames of acceptance.
#2: Valentine’s Video
“Cowboy Bebop” (1998-99)
The Faye that went into cryo-freeze and the one who woke up without memories are not the same person, and nothing proves that more than a video from the past. After the Bebop crew find a tape of a teenage Faye that sheds light on what she was like before, the adult version simply cries. The video itself is optimistic and well-meaning, but it only highlights that the new Faye lacks any of the same bubbly warmth or earnest optimism of her younger self. Instead of discontent about the past, the tears are her mourning the Faye she used to be; the version that died alongside her memories.
#1: Digivolving Beyond Digimon
“Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna” (2020)
After twenty years with the original cast, this iconic series was growing up with its audience, and that meant accepting that childhood doesn’t last forever. In this concluding film, Matt and Tai have outgrown the potential of Digimon and must say goodbye to the partners they’d had since the very first episode of the entire franchise. In the face of a villain that wants to prolong childhood, both the characters and the series come to the poignant decision that growing up and moving on are necessary parts of everyone’s digivolution. With beautiful thematic weight both in and out of universe, the final, gut-wrenching goodbye hurts, but it’s one hell of a worthy last adventure.
